California

New Law Bans Cash for Copper

California Governor Jerry Brown recently signed into law a bill by Assemblymember Wilmer Amina Carter, D-Rialto, that prevents metal recyclers from paying quick cash for copper. The "No Cash for Copper" Metal Theft Prevention Act, Assembly Bill 1508, goes into effect on January 1, 2013. The measure will bar copper thieves from getting up to $20 in cash on the spot from scrap metal recyclers for small amounts of copper that are combined with the redemption of beverage containers. Existing law requires all recycling centers that buy copper to check the seller's photo ID, take video or a photo of the seller and the material being sold, and also collect their thumb print. Cash is not allowed to be given instantly. The seller must come back three days later or have a check mailed to them.

Sellers, however, found a way to redeem quick cash for their scrap metals through a loophole in current law which allows an instant redemption of up to $20 if the metals were mixed with recyclables. "The law had encouraged copper wire thieves to cut up the metal into little pieces. When combining it with recyclable cans, they could walk away with cash in hand," Carter said.

Over the past several years, copper theft has reached epidemic proportions, jeopardizing public safety and leading to severe injury or even death. Although the street value of stolen copper is usually only a few hundred dollars, time and resources spent to repair damage to businesses, schools, construction sites and utilities can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

"The damage to property and the risk to public safety can be much greater than the value of the metal," said Carter, who successfully championed legislation in 2011 which stiffen penalties for copper theft.

"Now that these two laws are in place, my hope is that thieves will think twice before they steal from our farmers, schools, churches, business owners, utilities and California taxpayers," Assemblymember Carter said.

The measure will bar copper thieves from getting up to $20 in cash on the spot from scrap metal recyclers for small amounts of copper that are New Law Bans Cash for Copper combined with the redemption of beverage containers.

Existing law requires all recycling centers that buy copper to check the seller’s photo ID, take video or a photo of the seller and the material being sold, and also collect their thumb print. Cash is not allowed to be given instantly.

The seller must come back three days later or have a check mailed to them.

Sellers, however, found a way to redeem quick cash for their scrap metals through a loophole in current law which allows an instant redemption of up to $20 if the metals were mixed with recyclables.

“The law had encouraged copper wire thieves to cut up the metal into little pieces.

When combining it with recyclable cans, they could walk away with cash in hand,” Carter said.

Over the past several years, copper theft has reached epidemic proportions, jeopardizing public safety and leading to severe injury or even death. Although the street value of stolen copper is usually only a few hundred dollars, time and resources spent to repair damage to businesses, schools, construction sites and utilities can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“The damage to property and the risk to public safety can be much greater than the value of the metal,” said Carter, who successfully championed legislation in 2011 which stiffen penalties for copper theft.

“Now that these two laws are in place, my hope is that thieves will think twice before they steal from our farmers, schools, churches, business owners, utilities and California taxpayers,” Assemblymember Carter said.

Torlakson Appoints Inglewood High Alumnus as State Administrator for Inglewood Unified School District

INGLEWOOD—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson today appointed Kent Taylor—himself a graduate of Inglewood High School—as State Administrator over the financially troubled Inglewood Unified School District. “My top priority is to keep Inglewood’s schools open and serving its students, while returning the district to fiscal solvency, and ultimately, local control,” Torlakson said. “Kent Taylor is the right choice for this tough, but critically important, job. He has deep roots in the Inglewood community, and a proven track record as a leader and sound fiscal manager.” Taylor, who currently serves as Superintendent of the Southern Kern Unified School District, brings two decades of experience working in California’s public schools to his new assignment. He has worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and other administrative assignments in San Bernardino, Yucaipa, San Jacinto, and Rialto before being named superintendent in 2011.

“It’s an honor to come home to Inglewood and serve a community and a school system that have meant so much to me,” Taylor said. “I look forward to the opportunity to address the many challenges we face and working to give every Inglewood student the same opportunity to succeed that I enjoyed.”

Taylor earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of California, Riverside; his teaching credential at the University of La Verne; and Masters of Education degree at California State University, San Bernardino. He served 12 years as a school board member at Colton Unified School District. Taylor has also been awarded for exemplary service as an educator and is a member of several professional education associations, including the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators, and the Association of California School Administrators.

The state took over the district last month, when, at the district’s request, Governor Brown approved legislation that would provide up to $55 million in emergency loans to help the district meet its financial obligations. The loan must be repaid within 20 years.

The legislation required the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to assume all the legal rights, duties, and powers of the governing board of the district and appoint a state administrator. By law, the school district's elected governing board serves only in an advisory capacity until a number of conditions are met.

The Superintendent’s authority continues until the district has adequate fiscal systems and controls in place, and the Superintendent has determined that the district's future compliance with the fiscal plan approved for the district is probable. The recovery plan also includes steps to improve the district's community relations and governance, pupil achievement, financial management, personnel management, and facilities management.

Inglewood Unified School District is the ninth school district in California to request an emergency loan, thus triggering the state takeover, since 1990. Since then, local governance has been returned to five districts. For more information, please visit the California Department of Education's HYPERLINK "http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fi/ir/stateemergloans.asp" \t "_blank" State Emergency Loans Web page.

Poor Parents' Education Is Key In Their Children's Escape From Poverty

Washington, D.C. — Earning a high school diploma today can help break the cycle of poverty tomorrow, according to an Urban Institute HYPERLINK "http://www.urban.org/publications/412659.html" \t "_blank" study. White children born to poor high school dropouts are 12 percentage points more likely to be persistently poor (that is, poor for at least half their lives from birth through age 17) than white children whose poor parents earned a diploma. The comparable number for black children is 21 percentage points. The difference between white children whose parents did not finish 12th grade and whose parents have education beyond high school is 30 percentage points. For black children, the figure is 45 percentage points. "Children, and in particular minority children, born to poor undereducated parents face a challenging beginning and are substantially more likely to spend most of their formative years in poverty," say researchers Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan. "Connecting at-risk children to appropriate services at birth is vital, as a child's early environment can affect brain development." Using data from the University of Michigan's Panel Study of Income Dynamics, Ratcliffe and McKernan tracked, through 2008, the life trajectory of children born between 1967 and 1989.

Children born between 1967 and 1974 had lower poverty rates (13 percent) than newborns in the 1980s and 1990s (18–19 percent). The poverty rate dipped to 15 percent for infants born between 2000 and 2008, but this downward trend stalled with the Great Recession. Child poverty rates hit a nearly 20-year high in 2010 (22 percent) and remained there in 2011.

The fallout from a parent's low educational attainment hits beyond childhood experiences and into adolescent outcomes. Children whose parents did not complete high school are 18 percentage points more likely to enter their 20s without completing high school than children whose parents have some education beyond high school (even after controlling for childhood poverty and other factors). These children are also 10 percentage points more likely to drop out of high school than children whose parents earn a high school degree (but did not have additional education). " HYPERLINK "http://www.urban.org/publications/412659.html" \t "_blank" Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence" also finds that children poor early in life (age 0-2), for longer periods, and in a family where adults do not work are less likely to complete high school.

Among other findings Between 1967 and 2008, one of every 10 white newborns was poor, compared with four of 10 black newborns. Of those poor at birth, 30 percent of the white children and 46 percent of the black children live in deep poverty (family income below 50 percent of the federal poverty level). Children poor for half their childhoods are nearly 90 percent more likely than never-poor children to enter their 20s without completing high school (controlling for other factors). Persistently poor girls are also four times more likely to give birth outside of marriage during their teenage years. Dropping out of high school and teen childbearing, in turn, perpetuate the cycle of poverty because they are obstacles to economic success.

Children who move because of an eviction, foreclosure, or divorce are less likely to complete high school by age 20 than children who do not move or move for neutral or positive reasons. In some cases, children are forced to change schools, which introduces further instability into their lives, especially if the move occurs during the school year or does not coincide with a natural school transition (such as the switch from middle school to high school).

Because the foreclosure crisis has displaced many school-age children, Ratcliffe and McKernan point out that flexible policies to allow students to remain in their original schools could give them some stability during a difficult period and lead to higher educational attainment. HYPERLINK "http://www.urban.org/publications/412126.html" \t "_blank" Previous research by Ratcliffe and McKernan looked at the poverty environment for children born in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The new study considers all children born between 1967 and 2008.

"Child Poverty and Its Lasting Consequence" was supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation through the Urban Institute's HYPERLINK "http://www.urban.org/center/lwf/index.cfm" \t "_blank" Low-Income Working Families project.

Community Clean Up Day

Apple Valley – Making Apple Valley a "Better way of Life" can be as simple as donating one morning to help pick up trash in the community.

Join volunteers Saturday, October 20 for the semi-annual Community Clean Up event from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Community service organizations, schools, churches, clubs and individual volunteers are invited to participate in this free event. Teams are provided with trash bags and gloves and assigned an area to clean. In return, participants get event T-shirts and lunch while supplies last. Volunteers must sign up in advance to get supplies, assignments and fill out a liability waiver. To help make a difference in the Town of Apple Valley call Special Events at (760) 240-7000 x 7071. Our twice annual Clean Up Days are made possible with the help of Burrtec, Sparklett’s, Splattered Ink, Take Pride in America and Keep California Beautiful.

Bulky household items such as mattresses, appliances, and furniture may be dropped off free of charge at the collection bins on the corner of Navajo and Pah-ute between 9 a.m. and noon. No tires, televisions, computer monitors or other hazardous materials will be accepted. The Town accepts household hazardous waste every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility at 13450 Nomwaket Road in Apple Valley between Powhatan and Ottawa roads. For more information on recycling or disposing of hazardous waste, visit www.GreenAppleValley.org.